While none of the partners had any previous experience in such a venture, Ochs said, "We all wanted to own our own business.

"We had a really good opening," she said. Customers were waiting for a turn to ride one of the dozen little vehicles when the park opened at noon, she said.

For a flat fee, drivers with visions of the Indianapolis 500 can strap themselves into one of the buggies and race against other drivers for a timed period.

"We have people who come in who will drop $50 and just ride all day. We've had guys in their late teens and early 20s who have dropped that much money and people in their 40s drop that much," Ochs said.

The go-carts, which Ochs said can reach speeds of 45 mph on a straight stretch of road, are the first in what will be several stages of development at the park.

A second, larger track is expected to begin operation by the end of August for racing of Grand Prix vehicles.

The larger cars can reach speeds of 65-75 mph on a straight stretch, Ochs said, but are limited to speeds of 35-40 mph on the curved track.

Both vehicles, she said, "are virtually impossible to roll," because their center of gravity is so low to the ground.

There are restrictions to motorists wishing to drive either vehicle.

To drive a go-cart, she said, a driver must be at least four feet tall. The youngest person to ride at that height so far has been around 8 years old, she said.

"We suggest the kids come in the daytime during the week or mornings on the weekend," she said. The reason is to segregate the younger kids from the older children and adults for safety purposes.

To drive the Grand Prix later this summer, the driver must be 16 and have a valid driver's license.

Turnout has been very good, Ochs said. So good in fact that it's difficult to get people to leave when thesun goes down.

"We've had to turn people away. It gets dark and people still want to drive," Ochs said.

The problem of driving at night is expected to be solved next week when lights are installed around the track.

Hours of operation will be extended when the lights are in place to 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

By next spring, Ochs said the park will have expanded to include other forms of scaled-down recreation.

A small lake will be added to accommodate "bumper-boats," luring frustrated sailors from the high seas and low lakes.

There will also be miniature golf, which Ochs assured need not be played only by short people, and a bank-shot basketball game.

"We're trying to gear the park to have something for the entire family," she said. Toward that end, the owners are also considering cages filled with small plastic balls in which young children can play.

For now, part of the park's short-term success, Ochs mentioned, is attributable to customers who return repeatedly to race the go-carts.

"We've had a lot of repeat business," she said.

When night falls and everyone is told to leave, she said, "we tell them to come back the next day, and they're there the next day."